Controller of multi-phase electric motor

Abstract

A controller of a multi-phase electric motor includes a drive section for driving the multi-phase electric motor; a single current detection section for detecting a current value of the multi-phase electric motor; a PWM signal generation section for generating plural PWM signals of each phase within one control period based on the current value detected by the current detection section and a carrier signal; and a phase movement section for moving a phase by a predetermined amount such that frequency in change of the PWM signal of the predetermined phase generated by the PWM signal generation section is included in a non-audible range, and outputting the PWM signal which phase is moved to the drive section; wherein the phase movement section moves the phase by a predetermined amount for all the PWM signals of the predetermined phase within one control period.

1. A controller of a multi-phase electric motor comprising:
 a drive section, comprising an upper arm switching element and a lower arm switching element, for driving the multi-phase electric motor; 
 a single current detection section for detecting a current value of the multi-phase electric motor; 
 a pulse width modulation signal generation section for generating plural pulse width modulation signals of each phase for each of a plurality of pulse width modulation periods comprised by one control period based on the current value detected by the current detection section and a carrier signal; 
 a current detectability determination section for determining whether the current value is detectable in the current detection section based on the pulse width modulation signal of each phase generated by the pulse width modulation signal generation section; and 
 a phase movement section for moving a phase of the pulse width modulation signal of a predetermined phase generated by the pulse width modulation signal generation section, 
 wherein the phase movement section moves the phase of the pulse width modulation signals of the predetermined phase within one control period by the same amount for all the plurality of pulse width modulation periods when the current detectability determination section determines that current is not detectable. 
 
     
     
       2. The controller of the multi-phase electric motor according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a switching number determination section for determining whether a number of the upper arm switching element to turn ON is an even number or an odd number when the current detectability determination section determines that current is not detectable, 
 wherein the phase movement section moves the phase of the pulse width modulation signal of the predetermined phase generated by the pulse width modulation signal generation section based on the determination result of the switching number determination section.